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Reorganization at FrieslandCampina
Is your site closing or changing, or has FrieslandCampina announced that your position is being eliminated and have you received a dismissal proposal?
Are you facing a reorganization at FrieslandCampina? This page explains your position under Dutch employment law, which applies to everyone working in the Netherlands, including highly skilled migrants and international staff. Through its Expedition 2030 programme the dairy company is shrinking its production network and organization: whole factories are closing or merging and head-office roles are being cut. If you work in production, your site may disappear and your work may move elsewhere; if you work in an office role, your position may become redundant. Before you sign a proposal, it is wise to know your rights and whether the proposal is correct.
Does this apply to you?
- Your production site is closing or being downsized
- Your work is moving to another site or another company
- Your head-office role is being eliminated or you are redundant
- You work in production, logistics, R&D or an office role
- You have received a dismissal proposal or settlement agreement
Why employees turn to ReorgLegal
ReorgLegal specialises in reorganizations and works solely for employees, never for employers. We assess your proposal and stand beside you.
Do not wait too long. A reorganization often comes with short response deadlines. Have any proposal assessed before you agree to it.
The situation at FrieslandCampina
In late 2023 FrieslandCampina announced its Expedition 2030 programme, under which around 1,800 positions disappear worldwide, of which over 900 in the Netherlands.
What it is about
As the reason FrieslandCampina cites the thin margins in dairy, strong competition, higher costs and investments in sustainability. The largest part of the job reduction concerns support and office roles, such as HR, finance, IT, marketing and R&D. In addition, the production network is being adjusted.
Sites close or merge
The cheese factory in Born closed in 2025, with production moving to Workum. In Leeuwarden part of the jobs disappear because the northern part of the site is being divested and work is moving to another location or a partner company. The organization may also change at other sites.
The figures and arrangements around a reorganization can change. This page was last updated in July 2026; the facts shown apply as far as known at that time.
In short
- Expedition 2030 programme: around 1,800 jobs worldwide, over 900 in the Netherlands
- Reason: margins, competition, costs and sustainability
- Main weight on support and office roles
- The production network is being adjusted: sites close or merge
- Born closed, work to Workum; Leeuwarden downsized
- Have your situation assessed before you sign
Is your site closing or changing?
What makes the reorganization at FrieslandCampina distinctive is that not only positions disappear, but whole sites close or merge. Where you work therefore strongly determines what is coming your way.
Production: reassignment and travel distance
If your factory closes or your work moves to another site, the question is whether you can be reassigned and whether an offered role is genuinely suitable. Travel distance plays a role in that, but it is not the only factor: suitability is assessed on the basis of all the circumstances, including your role, salary, roster and personal situation.
If your work moves to another company
If work moves to a partner company, there may in certain circumstances be a transfer of undertaking, in which your employment terms in principle move with you. Whether that is the case is assessed on the basis of the statutory criteria and the circumstances of the case.
Office: redundancy
If you work in a support or office role, it usually runs through redundancy, the reflection principle and reassignment. Even then it is wise to have the selection and the proposal checked.
Is something changing at your site or role? Have your situation assessed before you agree.
What to watch for
- Whether you are entitled to reassignment and whether a role is suitable
- How travel distance and your circumstances are weighed
- Whether there is a transfer of undertaking
- Whether the reflection principle and the selection are correct
- The terms of an offered departure arrangement
How does the downsizing at FrieslandCampina work?
A closure or merger at FrieslandCampina follows a set path. The earlier in that path you seek advice, the more influence you have on the outcome.
From intended decision to advice
A decision to close or merge a site first goes to the works council as an intended decision, on which it may advise. Only afterwards does it become clear which positions exactly disappear and who becomes redundant.
Who becomes redundant?
FrieslandCampina cannot freely decide who leaves; within positions that count as interchangeable, the reflection principle in principle applies, subject to statutory exceptions such as indispensable employees. If the grouping of interchangeable positions is incorrect, that can change your position.
Mobility programme or departure
Those who become redundant usually get a mobility programme with job-to-job support, within the production network or beyond. Dismissal can only come into view if reassignment is not possible, including within a reasonable period and if necessary after retraining. If that fails, a departure usually runs through a settlement agreement or otherwise through a dismissal application to the UWV.
Seize every moment
- At the intended decision: request the social plan and your status
- On the grouping: have it checked whether your role is rightly called interchangeable
- On a role elsewhere: weigh the travel distance and the suitability
- On a departure proposal: do not sign without legal review
What does this mean for you?
A reorganization at FrieslandCampina follows the statutory rules for redundancy on economic grounds, supplemented by the dairy industry collective agreement and the social plan. You have rights at each of these points.
Objective selection
Within interchangeable positions FrieslandCampina may not decide for itself who leaves; the reflection principle in principle sets the order. Especially in a closure, the grouping of interchangeable positions is a point to have checked closely.
Reassignment and travel distance
If your site closes, it must first be investigated whether there is a suitable position for you. Whether a role at another site is suitable depends on all the circumstances, including travel distance and your personal situation.
Your compensation
On termination at the employer's initiative there is usually an entitlement to the statutory transition payment, unless the social plan or the applicable arrangement offers a different or additional payment. Whether the offered amount matches your years of service, salary and any shift allowance is worth recalculating.
The settlement agreement
A departure usually runs through a settlement agreement. That document sets out, among other things, your end date, compensation and release from work; have it reviewed before you sign.
The dairy collective agreement and the social plan
Your employment terms and the cushioning in a reorganization are set out partly in the dairy industry collective agreement and in the social plan. It is important to know which arrangements apply to you.
Two collective agreements
For the dairy industry there are two collective agreements: a dairy industry collective agreement and a separate dairy industry collective agreement for senior staff. Which of the two applies to you depends on your role; if you work in shifts, different provisions apply than for a senior office role. Check which collective agreement and which arrangements apply to your role.
The social plan
For the reorganization a social plan has been agreed with the trade unions, with arrangements on reassignment, job-to-job support and compensation. Such a plan has a duration and can be followed by a new plan. So have it checked which version and which terms apply to your situation.
Not sure what the social plan offers you? Have your situation assessed before you agree.
What to watch for
- Which collective agreement applies to your role
- Which version of the social plan applies to you
- The arrangements on reassignment and support
- The amount and the calculation of your compensation
- The end date and the final discharge in the agreement
What you can do now
If a closure, a merger or redundancy is at play at your site or department, take these steps before you put your signature to anything. The earlier you know your position, the more room you keep.
- Request the social plan, the applicable collective agreement and your proposal in writing
- Have it checked whether your role is rightly grouped as interchangeable for the reflection principle
- On a role at another site, weigh the travel distance and the suitability
- Recalculate whether the compensation matches your years of service, salary and allowances
- Do not put your signature to a settlement agreement without legal review
Have you received a dismissal proposal or settlement agreement from FrieslandCampina? Send it to us for review before you make a final decision.
When to come to us?
- You have received a settlement agreement
- Your site is closing or your work is moving
- You have doubts about the reassignment or the travel distance
- You have doubts about the compensation or the reflection principle
- You have to respond within a few days
Frequently asked questions
Questions that FrieslandCampina employees ask us in practice.
Have you received a dismissal proposal or a settlement agreement? Send it to us for review.
My site is closing, do I have to move to another factory?
FrieslandCampina must first investigate whether there is a suitable position for you. Whether a role at another site is suitable depends on all the circumstances, including travel distance and your personal situation. You do not have to accept an offer without having it assessed.
What does my compensation consist of?
On termination of the employment there is usually an entitlement to the statutory transition payment, unless the social plan or the applicable arrangement offers a different or additional payment. The amount depends on the arrangement, your years of service and your salary, including any shift allowance. Have the offered amount recalculated.
What if my work moves to another company?
Then there may in certain circumstances be a transfer of undertaking, in which your employment terms in principle move with you. Whether that is the case is assessed on the basis of the statutory criteria and the circumstances of the case.
I am redundant, is my dismissal final?
No. Redundancy is an intermediate step. An incorrect grouping of interchangeable positions or a weak reassignment effort can change your position.
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